New Beginnings
by meltedliripip
Summary: In an AU all-human universe Elena meets an old figure from her past, the mysterious older Salvatore brother, who comes just in time to save her from the life that she never thought she would be living: a single mom, broke and divorced from the guy who promised her forever.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my own work of fiction, using characters belonging to L. J. Smith and Julie Plec of The Vampire Diaries. Any original storylines or characters are mine, but anything recognizable is theirs! Many thanks to Hecatelove for being my Beta. **

Elena Gilbert carefully pins her name badge to her apron and glances at herself in the mirror hanging above the sinks in the bathroom of the Mystic Grill. Never had she thought that her mid-twenties would find her working in her teenage hang out, divorced and completely broke. Suddenly, she is brought back down to earth by her phone ringing in her pocket.

"Hello?"

"Elena, honey, are you okay? Have you started yet?" the concerned voice of Elena's aunt Jenna rings clear over the cell phone.

She takes a breath before she starts talking. "I'm fine. I'm just changing. I guess I'm just having a moment. I never thought it would come to this - Matt was always the good guy. How has it come to this Jenna?"

Elena can practically feel the sympathy radiating from the phone in her hand. "Sweetie, I don't know what to say. We could never have known that he'd turn out like this. But is it any surprise, given his mom? And Vicki…" Jenna stops herself from going further, knowing that Matt's sister's suicide is something best not brought up today, before going on. "Do you want to talk to Hayden? He's desperate to speak to you."

For a moment all nervousness and sadness wash away from Elena's mind as the thought of talking to her little boy completely brightens her outlook, "Yes! Yes please, put him on."

"Okay, hang on a sec."

Seconds later, Elena's son's voice fills the line, "Momma?"

"Hayden, honey, are you being good for Aunt Jenna?"

"Yeah, mommy, we watched The Incredibles two times this morning!"

The thought of the small boy's obsession with The Incredibles manages to completely soften Elena's heart, and a huge smile creeps onto her face, "Woah, Aunt Jenna must be the best auntie in the world to let you do that."

Hayden lets out an adorable giggle, "Yeah! But I miss you Mommy. Hurry home."

It was with that, and no goodbye, that he hands the phone back to Jenna: "Elena, I'm gonna have to go. But good luck! I'll see you later."

"Thanks, Jenna. I don't think I could have done this without you and Ric. I'll see you about five. I'll grab dinner on my way home."

Elena hangs up, takes a deep breath, and starts her first day of her new job.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, as she walks through the grill carrying the Lockwood's drinks, Elena hears a voice call out: "Elena! Elena?"<p>

She whips around, dropping the drinks balanced on her tray in the process.

"Oh, shoot," she whispers under her breath, before looking fully at the man now standing in front of her. He looks familiar, but she can't quite place his face.

"Elena Gilbert? Is that you?" Elena has definitely heard that voice before; arrogant and confident, did she go to high school with him? One of Jer's old college friends? No, neither of those, this man must be at least thirty.

"Can I help you?" She asks curtly, using what she hopes is a polite tone - the tone she was told a few days earlier, in her orientation session, to speak in - while quickly leaning down to pick up the dropped glasses.

He leans down also, helping her to put the glasses back on the tray, and there is no denying that the man is one of the most handsome she has ever seen. His raven black hair perfectly accentuating his crystal blue eyes, she realizes who he is moments before he starts to speak again.

"You don't remember me, huh? I'm Damon Salvatore. Stefan's brother. He was in your class in high school…" For a brief moment, doubt crosses his eyes, before he quickly regains the confidence his eyes had held moments before.

"Of course I remember you, Stefan's older brother. You remember me?"

Stefan had joined in their junior year, having been homeschool since primary. After initially vying for Elena's affection, he had moved on once he realized that the only person she would let into her hectic-popular-cheerleader life was the lucky and sweet quarterback Matt Donovan. He had moved almost immediately onto the only too accommodating Caroline Forbes: and they'd been together ever since.

But Damon, he was an enigma. Seven years older than his brother, he had been the mysterious hottie whose brief appearances at Stefan's parties had caused a flurry through the room, until he, as he always did, walked out of the house and into the arms of his steady girlfriend, Katherine Pierce. Katherine, even older than he was, was infamous in the surrounding area for being the conceited and spoiled daughter of billionaire Thomas Pierce, who just so happened to be a descendant of the powerful Bulgarian Petrova family.

"Of course, I'm never one to forget a pretty face," Damon flirts, flashing the smirk that had won so many of Elena's classmate's hearts, "If I remember correctly, my brother had a bit of a soft spot for you; probably still does, even with those three pesky rug rats."

Elena forms a mental note to call Caroline, not having realized that the third Forbes-Salvatore baby had arrived happy and healthy - and on a side note realizes that she really has been a terrible friend over the past few months. In high school, and the first year of college - until she had dropped out to go travelling with Matt - she, Caroline and Bonnie had been inseparable, the best of friends. And now, she managed to call Caroline every few months to check in on her friend's new life in California, and she only ever saw Bonnie at the family get-togethers, when she came along with Jeremy.

Quickly, she re-composes herself, "High school was a long time ago. I hear Stefan and Caroline have really settled down to life in San Francisco. What brings you back to Mystic Falls anyway?"

By this time, the two of them have picked up all of the glasses and are making their way back to the bar.

"I never really left," Damon replied, "When my wife started wanting to take over the family business, she had to move to New York full time, where their head office is. So I split my time between our apartment there and my parent's home back here. Especially recently, due to my mother's failing health, I've been spending a lot of time back here. As for the trip to this old haunt, I'm meeting an old friend in about…" He glances at his watch, "fifteen minutes, and I couldn't resist dropping by and getting in a couple of drinks."

Placing the tray he had been carrying for her down on the bar, he flashes her a smile.

"Loretta," she starts, turning to the other waitress behind the bar, "Could you get someone on the spillage next to table 26? The Lockwoods asked specifically for me to get them their drinks."

As she starts speaking, she moves around the bar and starts to re-pour the drinks she had spilled a few moments before. She turns to Damon, "I'm sorry to her about your mother. If it makes you feel any better, I've had my fair share of grief in the last few years. Both of my parents died in a car crash when I was younger, and…" Elena trails off, realizing that she was probably seconds away from over sharing some very personal details about herself with someone who, although she had known of, and probably spoken to in passing years ago, was now a stranger.

Damon senses her awkwardness, and a more sympathetic look passes over his face, "I'm sorry, I knew about your parents. Maybe we should get together some time for dinner and bond over our passing and passed away parents?" As he says it, his hand passes over the bar and onto the smaller, delicate hand which she had placed onto the bar after pouring the new drinks.

She glances at his hand, before pulling hers away slowly.

"Maybe. I'm quite busy this week, but maybe this weekend? Won't your wife mind?"

"Oh, Katherine won't care. She cares little about what I do these days…" Sadness passes through Damon's eyes, before quickly picking back up the facade of over-confidence. "So, how's Friday night?"

He observes her as she mentally tries to work out what her Friday night will consist of. Before long, she answers, "Friday's no good. I have to be with my son that night. He goes to see his dad the next day."

For a second, a look of incredulity crosses Damon's face, "You're a mother?!"

Elena blushes, "Yes, to a four year old. Hayden."

"I'm sorry for my rudeness," Damon apologizes, "It's just…well…you don't look a day over nineteen!"

Elena lets out a quick giggle, "Well, I can assure you, I'm definitely twenty six; or at least, I was when I last checked."

"Well, I guess you are the same age as Stefan… I… it's just… I wouldn't have guessed you were a mom," Damon speaks apologetically, "You just seem so youthful."

"Oh, trust me," she gives him a knowing grin, "I'm nothing if not wizened and mature."

"I hope you don't mind me asking," Damon sounds embarrassed, and allows his glance to drop to the bar surface, "But is your son's father still in the picture?"

Elena allows herself to lower her guard for a moment, "No. No, he's not. So how about you pick me up at 7 on Saturday?"

Damon smiles, and Elena cannot help but be drawn into his blue eyes, "Great, how about you give me a number so I can call you before then?"

Elena smiles gently as she scrawls her cell number onto a napkin. After gently saying goodbye and walking away, finally, with the Lockwood's long-awaited drinks, she realizes that the excitement at starting to get back to her own self will probably keep the smile there for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p>Elena is now walking up the front porch to her parents' house, the home that she has made hers again. Elena is still smiling. Granted, it's not just because of Damon. Her first day back had just been…. well, it had been good. And she can hear Hayden's excited laughing drift down from the house. It is as she is about to get her keys out that she sees something that wipes the smile clean off of her face. Or rather someone.<p>

"Hey," Matt says, standing just in front of the porch swing.

Elena's expression immediately became accusatory. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Matt looks down at the ground before replying. "I guess I was just feeling lonely. I want to see Hayden. I just need to see him to be okay."

The accusatory expression now mingles with shock. "You need to be okay? Isn't this all your fault?"

"Hey, it takes two to ruin a marriage! I just want to see my boy."

Elena now looks upset, "Are you saying it's my fault that you slept with that… that…" She stops herself before cussing, more than aware that her son is just on the other side of the window that she is now standing next to.

Matt looks upset. "No, you know that's not what I'm saying. Don't deny that our marriage was going downhill before then. Look, I'm sorry. I just want to see Hayden. Please, let me see him, just for a couple of minutes. You can't stop me from seeing my son."

Elena fumbles in her bag for her keys. "I'm not stopping you from seeing him. You'll get him at the weekend, like we already agreed," She says, whipping the house keys from her bag, trying to stop herself from the outburst of tears she feels seconds away from, "Please, Matt, just go."

It is with that that she throws the door open, and steps inside into the warmth, leaving her ex-husband standing crying on the porch.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you Hecatelove for your help Beta-ing!**

**Due to the use of flashbacks, I've tried to label anything with how long ago it was compared to 'present day'. Anything unlabelled is 'present day'. I hope this clears some things up!**

* * *

><p>The rest of the week went by quickly. Working every other day at the Grill, Elena quickly learned to keep her head down, her voice lowered, and to always do something as soon as she was asked. That made it go by quicker. She had learnt early in the week that the awkwardness of waiting on the other founding family members and her old friends was too much to bear, unless she followed these few rules.<p>

_Tuesday_

_"Hey, Elena," Tyler Lockwood's face had looked up from the menu. He had mean unable to hide the mixed look of guilt and embarrassment that crossed his face._

_"Hey, Ty, what can I get you?" she had to stay professional._

_"For now… a sweet tea. And a lemonade for Hayley." He made a gesture with his head to the woman sitting opposite him. Elena barely knew her, but rumor was she was Lockwood's steady._

_"Elena, could I come over some time? There's just some stuff… Well, there's stuff I want to talk to you about… About Matt."_

_As soon as the words had left his mouth, elena felt her anger rise. "I don't really think that's your place Ty."_

_"Oh, come on, Elena. We've been friends for like forever." She gave him a stony look. "Fine, look, you know Matt's my best friend. And I'm worried about him. He misses Hay so much."_

_"He's see him every weekend, goddamit, how many times do I have to say it?!" Elena's raised voice had attracted the attention of some surrounding diners. Not wanting to cause a scene she lowered her voice and leant in closer. "Look, Tyler, I can't talk right now. Come over on Friday night. You can visit Hayden, and we can talk, alright?"_

_Tyler had nodded, and she had gone back to work, but not before pulling Loretta aside. "I'm sorry, I can't serve them anymore." _

_That was a sentence she would soon become used to saying._

* * *

><p>"Chicken and mozzarella pasta, served on a bed of rocket salad!" Jenna had announced with a flourish, gently placing a plate each in front of Elena and Alaric. It was the end of the each day that kept her going. The prospect of spending the evening with Hayden, where there was normally a dinner waiting on the table, thanks to the ever improving cooking skills of Aunt Jenna just about made up for the time she had to spend working tables at the Grill. It almost made it worth it.<p>

Alaric, who practically glowed with pride any time Jenna succeeded at a new meal, leant over and gently held his wife's hand. "This looks great Jen!" He flashed her a smile and Elena couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at their happiness pass over her.

"Well, come on, let's eat!"

Elena, feeling fidgety, had stood up abruptly. "You know what. I'm going to check on Hayden. Not that this doesn't look delicious. I just want to make sure he'd okay with his pizza in front of the T.V."

"Okay, well we'll start. Hurry back." Jenna's concerned expression had turned into a smile now, and as she said the words, Ric had picked up his cutlery, desperate to try his wife's creation.

Elena went quietly into the living room, hoping to catch a glance of her son in a moment of peacefulness before he spotted her.

Edna Mode was filling the screen, talking to Mr Incredible about super suits, a scene Elena was only too familiar with after years of watching and re-watching this film.

As she snuck up behind him, Elena noticed that Hayden's dark brown hair really did need a cut. Almost down to his shoulders, he looked like a washed up sixties rock star.

"Hello there!" She squealed, picking him up from behind and giving him a tickle. He was getting heavier by the day, but the day that Elena stopped giving her son little hugs here and there would be a very sad one.

He giggled and cuddled into her, nuzzling her neck, in the same way he had done since he was a baby. "Hello Mommy! Have you come to watch the movie with me?"

"Not yet honey," she replied, "but I will later. This time I've come wanted to ask you if it would be okay if Uncle Ty came to visit you a bit later in the week?"

A smile crept across his face before he replied, "Yes! Yes, Mommy! I miss him so much! When is he coming? When he gets here I'm gonna tell him about my new bedroom!"

Elena tried to think of what he was talking about, before asking, "What new bedroom sweetie?"

"The new bedroom I'm gonna have when we move back in with Daddy! Daddy's new house is so big! I can choose my own room and paint the walls green and have all new stuff in my room! Daddy told me."

"Daddy told you that, huh? When he phoned?"

"Yeah." Hayden's smile was adorable and heart breaking all in one go.

"Look honey," Elena started as she pulled him onto her lap, "I don't know why Daddy said that. We won't all be moving in together again."

"But why not?" The small boy's face took on a confused look.

"Because, well, Mommy and Daddy aren't married anymore."

Hayden let out a giggle. "That can't be right Momma, Bettie at preschool told me that a Mommy and Daddy have to be married to have a baby. And I'm yours and Daddy's baby!"

"Well, Betty is sort of right. Sometimes a Mommy and a Daddy are married. Your Mommy and Daddy used to be married. But not all Mommies and Daddies are married, and some of them are but then decide not to be anymore."

"And that's what you and Daddy have done? Decided not to be married anymore?"

God, this had to be the most heart breaking conversation she had ever had, Elena thought to herself, before she answered him. "Sort of sweetie. So we won't be moving back in with Daddy. Although I'm sure he'll help you with that bedroom in his new house when you go visit him. You can have two bedrooms now, Hay. One here, and one there. How does that sound?"

He seemed upset as he slid off her lap and back into the arm chair he had been watching The Incredibles from, "That's okay, I guess."

Elena could not go back into the kitchen knowing that she would be leaving Hayden here alone, so she went over to his chair and crouched down, trying to get onto his level in order to talk to him. "Look, honey. Mommy and Daddy may not live together anymore, but that doesn't mean that we aren't all still a family, and it definitely doesn't mean that we'll ever, ever stop loving you."

Hayden's eyes were now filled with tears, "So it's not because of me? It wasn't because I'm sometimes naughty? And I shout at you when I'm mad? Is that why you and Daddy decided not to be married anymore?"

That had broken Elena's heart, and she had decided then and there that she would spend every moment she wasn't at work with him, proving to him just how much she still loved him. "No. No way! Hay, will you come and sit with me in the kitchen while I eat dinner with Auntie Jen and Uncle Ric?"

"Okay." He had nodded, holding his arms out to be lifted up.

Back in the kitchen, Jenna and Alaric had been eavesdropping, but they quickly picked up their forks as they heard Elena returning.

"MMM, Jen! This is truly delicious!" Alaric's terrible attempt at covering up their eavesdropping gained him a filthy look from his wife.

* * *

><p>Matt had kept his distance, only phoning in the evenings to talk to Hayden, and for that Elena was thankful. Seeing him just made it harder. She knew that she still loved him, and spending time with him would make her want to get back together. But he wasn't good for her. She had been lulled into the false sense of security that being together for so long gave to her, and he had betrayed her trust.<p>

That said, thinking about seeing Damon again had brightened her week. Not just because of his striking looks, and the fact that he actually wanted to spend some time with the boring-mommy version of her, but also that he was a connection to her old life, the pre-Mrs Donovan era.

It was Thursday evening, Hayden had just been put to bed, and Jenna had just left. Elena was enjoying a glass of wine by the fire – a luxury hard to come by these days - when her phone had buzzed. She had groaned, thinking it was Matt, yet again pressuring her to let him come over even earlier on Saturday morning - to talk. "To grovel, more like," was what Ric had said on Tuesday night as the three of them were enjoying dinner.

**Hey MOM. I've had to fly back to NY on some urgent business. Can we make it 8 instead? -D.**

Elena stares at the screen for a moment, trying to work out who it could possibly be. And then, when she realized who "D" was, a smile crept onto her face as she started to type a reply.

**Sounds perfect. What should I wear? -X**

It took seconds for a reply to come.

**Smart casual. -D.**

She let a low chuckle escape from her throat; his typing was exactly as she imagined it would be. Curt and polite, just like how she remembered him from her high school years.

Elena sat, sipping her drink and staring into the fire, trying to work out if she ever had a conversation with Damon. Soon she is remembering her high school years, particularly those occasional periods when she wasn't with Matt. Especially at the beginning of junior year. They had been having problems for a while back then and she had really thought they were done for good. Stefan Salvatore had been the new guy back then, so she had really considered what it would be like to be with someone other than Matt. Somehow, though, they had always managed to find their way back to each other.

* * *

><p><span><em>Nine Years Before<em>

_"Who is that?" Bonnie shouted over the music, leaning in towards her two best friends._

_They were standing in the main room of the Salvatore boarding house. Right next to the fire place, they perfectly positioned to survey the room. This meant they were the first to see the raven haired man Bonnie was enquiring about as he walked from the family room that was always shut off at Stefan's parties, across to the drinks cabinet close to where Tyler and Matt were standing with a few other members of the football team._

_"Damon Salvatore, he's Stefan's older brother," Caroline, as always when it came to boys, was suddenly a fountain of knowledge, "He's 24, just graduated from Whitmore, and is gonna take over their Dad's business any day now." At Bonnie's nod, she quickly added, "But don't even go there. He's totally got a girlfriend, and besides, I get dibs when they break up."_

_Elena laughed with her friends, and suddenly a voice came from their left. "Hey there, what are you girls chatting about?" It was Stefan. "Elena, I got you a drink."_

_"Good thing we stopped talking when we did," Caroline whispered as an aside to Bonnie, as Elena took the drink and chatted to Stefan. _

_"Excuse us, guys, we need the bathroom, right, Bonnie?" Caroline said through gritted teeth, giving Bonnie a nudge._

_Bonnie looked bewildered, but didn't stop her friend from dragging her away from the other two. When they were a suitable distance away, standing in the foyer, Caroline spun her around so that their faces were just inches apart._

_"You have to help me!" She practically squealed._

_Bonnie stared back at her, trying to work out what the hell she was talking about. "What?"_

_"We have totally got to get Elena and Matt back together! They're meant to be! And I don't like this whole new flirting with Stefan thing that's going on. He's totally cute, but she shouldn't be allowed to have the quarterback and the cute new guy!"_

_Both girls jumped as a car horn sounded outside._

_"Look, Caroline, Elena needs us to be her friends right now. She and Matt are having so much drama that her best friend going after her rebound is the last thing she needs."_

_Caroline hushed her as a figure came towards them. They glanced up, both seeing who is was at the same time. Damon Salvatore himself gave them a smile as he passed, uttering, "Excuse me ladies," before opening the door and jumping into the open roofed car near the front door. A stunning brunette sat in the driving seat, and as he sat down in the car he reached across and pecked her cheek, before announcing "Hey, baby". With that, the car zoomed off._

_Caroline turned back to Bonnie, "See, he has a girlfriend. I think her name's Katy or something."_

_Bonnie gave her an odd look. "She looks old."_

_"That's not the issue we have to deal with right now! How do we get Elena and Donovan back together?!"_

* * *

><p>Before long Friday had rolled around, and Elena was manically rushing around the house, stuffing toys under seats, picking up stray cups and puffing up cushions. She wanted to make sure that Tyler thought she had everything completely under control, and she was completely fine without Matt; because, inevitably, he was going to report back to him on what exactly everything had been like.<p>

Too soon the door bell was ringing and Hayden was running towards the hallway, half crying, half screaming, "Uncle Ty! Uncle Ty!"

Elena hurried after her son, gently touching his head. "Calm. Down."

Her son flashes his sweetest, butter-couldn't-melt smile, and as she opens the door, he flings himself into the arms of the unsuspecting man standing on the porch.

He lets out a low grunt. "Woah, little man. You get bigger every time I see you!"

"I'm four now, Uncle Ty!"

Tyler sets him down. "I'm sorry buddy, you're just getting too heavy; I can't carry you!"

Hayden shows his disappointment with a pout, before regaining his composure, making Elena proud. Yes, Hayden had his moments, but really he was such a good boy. No tantrums and very little upsets made her feel like she was doing her job right.

"It's okay, Uncle Ty! As long as you play car racing with me!" Hayden grins as he pulls Tyler into the living room, come play room, and drags him onto the floor.

"Can I get you anything, Tyler?" Elena asked, standing reluctantly by the door, not wanting to interrupt her son's playing time with his godfather.

"Just a water's fine, thanks."

The next hour flew by, and all too soon it was time for Elena to drag Hayden away to have his bath.

Tyler stands by the door of the bathroom as Hayden plays in the water, his favorite bath toy clutched in his right hand.

"Have you eaten anything, Elena?" Tyler asks. He gives her a concerned look, more than aware that she looks considerably more skinny than when she was married to Matt, not three months before.

"To be honest, Ty," Elena answers, glancing up from her son, "I've barely thought about food this whole week. And I've got nothing in the house."

"Can I stay for dinner? We could order in a pizza. Hayley's with some girlfriends tonight, and I don't really fancy gate crashing their dinner."

Elena just about manages a smile, dreading what Tyler will want to talk about over dinner, but also absolutely tempted by the offer of pizza. "That sounds great. There's a menu on the fridge. You go order and I'll put this little guy to bed."

By the time Elena is done drying and then putting Hayden into his pjs, reading him a bed time story, and tucking him in, the pizza has arrived. Tyler has put it in the centre of the dining table, laying a couple of plates opposite each other.

She sits down on the side nearest the stairs, as she has gotten so used to doing, giving her maximum access to Hayden.

She sighs before speaking, "Tyler, I know why you're here. So we might as well get down to it. I'm not taking Matt back, and I don't really care if he's unhappy. He broke my heart, and in all the time I have known you, you've never seemed this interested in anyone else's feelings. So what's the deal?"

Tyler sighs as well, looking up from his plate and wiping his mouth.

"You may find this hard to believe, but all I'm interested in doing here is helping a broken family. My parents were never very happy when I was younger, and look at me." He gives her an odd smile, "I don't want you to take him back, all I want is to help you two act civil in front of Hayden. Matt doesn't expect you to take him back, he knows he shouldn't have kissed that other girl, but he just wants to make things easier on Hay."

Elena snorts, "And he told you all this, huh? You know he did a lot more than kiss her."

Tyler gives her an odd look. "I don't think he did. Rebekah's a good friend of Hayley's and from what I've heard nothing more happened between them..."

Elena interrupts him. "Look, he was unfaithful to me, I don't care how; any amount of intimacy with another person is not okay with me. But I'm more than willing to let you more into mine and Hayden's life, if all you want to do is help us, and help me deal with Matt."

Tyler smiles, before she continues, "But Tyler, I'm warning you. You cannot flip out at him like you usually do. With Hayden, I mean. He's only little and with everything that's happening, we've got to be gentle with him."

Tyler nods, and takes another bite of his pizza, before starting to gossip about one of the Fells, who is _apparently _on crack. Elena feels herself relaxing, feeling like she's in high school again.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for all of the reviews, favourites and alerts! I wasn't expecting so much on just the first chapter...! <strong>**Please, keep them coming. If you're a writer then you'll know how much it means to have people comment (whether it be praise or constructive criticism!) and I can guarantee you that knowing that you liked the first chapter felt amazing :)**


	3. Chapter 3

"They left hours ago….. Yeah, I've had lunch…. Of course I'll let you know how it goes….. Okay, thanks Jen, talk to you soon."

Elena hangs up the phone, smiling. As much as she loves Hayden, she can't help the feeling of joy at finally having the house to herself. And later on, she's seeing Damon. She glances at the clock hanging in the kitchen, and realizes that if she wants the day of luxury she has planned, she had better get started.

She had realized the evening before while lying in bed that, according to Damon's text, she needs to dress smart-casual, but, being a mother, has no such clothes fitting this description.

A few minutes later, she is getting into her car, pushing sandwich boxes and soft toys to the side to allow her space to slide in. She switches on the radio, starts to drive, and finally allowing herself to relax. She sits back, quietly starts humming to the familiar song that comes on.

* * *

><p><span><em>Seven Years Ago<em>

**_It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside_**

**_I'm not one of those who can easily hide_**

**_I don't have much money, but boy if I did_**

**_I'd buy a big house where we both could live_**

_"Elena, I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone. I know I don't…well, I don't talk about my feelings much, but…well, I love you, and I'll try forever trying to make you as happy as you make me."_

_They were standing with next to no space between them, clutching onto each other as if their lives depended on it._

_"You know I'd give you anything if I could. If I had more money…" Matt leant in to whisper into her ear._

_Elena lifted up finger to his lips, hushing him delicately._

_"One day, we'll have everything. Money doesn't matter when I have you"._

**_So excuse me forgetting, but these things I do_**

**_You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue_**

**_Anyway the thing is what I really mean_**

**_Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen_**

_"Thanks for sticking with me. I love you."_

_She just smiled up at him, glowing at the thought that he felt the same way as her._

* * *

><p>When the song ends, Elena immediately reaches over and turns the radio off, before quickly wiping away the single tear she had let escape her eye. She sits for a moment in the car, trying to regain some composure. Slowly, she pulls herself up from the resting position she had adopted on the wheel, grabs her bag and slides out of the car.<p>

Once inside the mall, she walks around for nearly twenty minutes, not knowing where to start, before deciding that a coffee and sit down may clear her head. As she walks into Starbucks, though, she spots a familiar face.

"Bonnie!"

Bonnie whips around, looking for the source of the shriek, and when she sees Elena a massive smile appears on her face. "Elena! Oh my god!"

Bonnie immediately starts trying to rearrange her shopping bags from the other chair at the table she is sitting at. She slips her phone into her bag. "I can't believe it. Where the hell have you been!?"

Elena laughs. "Mothering!"

"You look skinny. Are you eating?"

Elena gives her an exasperated look. "I wish everyone would stop asking me that. I am now. I wasn't a few days ago. How's Jer?"

"Jeremy is good. He misses you. And he worries about you! And we both NEED to have a fix of our adorable nephew; where is he?" Bonnie starts to look around, as though she is half expecting Hayden to jump out from behind one of the nearby arm chairs.

"He's with Matt…" Elena looks down at the ground.

"So you decided to go on a solo shopping trip?" Bonnie asks, obviously suspicious.

"I guess it was partly that. And partly…" Elena trails off.

"Elena. Gilbert. Do you have a date?!"

"No! Well, not really. It's not a date." Elena blushes, "I bumped into Stefan's older brother. We're having dinner to catch up, that's all."

Bonnie gives her a knowing look. "The elusive and sexy older Salvatore brother, huh? Do you want it to be a date?"

"I'm a mom now, Bonnie, I don't have time for this high school gossip."

Bonnie gives her yet another knowing look. "Oh Elena, get off your high horse. No one is ever too old for a good old fashioned boy talk. He's cute. But, he must be what, 30?"

"He's 33," Elena explains, "and married."

"A married man? Oh, Elena. Who did he end up marrying? Katy, wasn't it?"

"Katherine."

"Oh."

They sit looking at each other for a minute, before Bonnie continues. "So, it's definitely not a date. You can't go there, Elena, not after everything… Anyway, it doesn't hurt to look hot for a dinner with a good looking guy, right? And all you have are mom jeans and sweats! So we're gonna find you something you can look stunning in!"

* * *

><p><span><em>Six Years Ago<em>

_Bonnie sat up straight in her bed, looking for the source of the buzzing, before realizing that it is her cell phone on the table beside her bed. She took a few seconds to stare at it, bewildered, before hitting the answer button._

_"Hello?" She asked, still half asleep._

_"Bonnie! I think today's the day!"_

_Bonnie rubbed her head, "Elena?"_

_Elena's voice had been filled with excitement, and she was practically screaming. "Matt's going to do it today!"_

_"Why the hell are you not still asleep? It's," she had glanced at her alarm clock, "half past five! Half past five! God's sake Elena! I have late classes today; I could have got in at least five more hours!"_

_"Oh, Bonnie! I can barely breathe! Can you come over and help me choose what to wear? I think tonight is the night that Matt is going to ask! He had to go home last night to get something; I think it was the ring!"_

_"Elena, are you okay? This doesn't sound like you."_

_Elena had laughed, "I'm just excited! Please come over!"_

_Bonnie lay back down. "What time are you guys meeting tonight?"_

_"Eight."_

_"Then I'll see you at six. Good night."_

_After hanging up, Bonnie had almost immediately fallen back asleep._

* * *

><p><span>Present Day<span>

A few hours later, they both stand in front of the mirror in Elena's room, looking at her reflection.

"Are you sure I don't look too…" She trails off, gently smoothing her dress.

"I am completely sure! You look amazing!" Bonnie glances at her watch.

"But look, I have to go. Jer and I have plans. But please, can you come over for dinner… soon? If it comes to it, Jer and I can come over and help put Hayden to bed and then cook you something." She stares at her friend for a moment. "Understand?!"

Elena laughs. "Yes! I understand. I love you both, and I've missed you."

The pair hug for a few seconds, before pulling away.

"Thank you, for all the help." Elena thanks her sincerely.

"Anytime. I'll let myself out. Do your makeup, and then you're done. The shoes are my favorite part." Bonnie gives her friend a very Bonnie-like smile, winks and then leaves.

About a minute later, Elena hears the front door slam. She looks back at her reflection.

Why am I so nervous? She asks herself.

By the time Elena had finished applying her makeup, she still had an hour to spare. She first tried cleaning the house, but ended up just finding a bunch of junk she had forgotten they owned. Then she attempted looking through the cardboard box which lived in the corner of the hall. The one that had all of her parent's old stuff; the photographs, the certificates, the paintings they had insisted on putting all over the walls every time Elena or Jeremy brought one home from school. When she deemed that too upsetting, she tried to read. But she was too distracted.

Why am I so nervous? She had asked herself, again. And again.

Twenty minutes before Damon was due to pick her up, Elena finds herself standing where Bonnie left her - staring at her own reflection.

She had to hand it to Bonnie. Years of going to art gallery openings with Jeremy meant that she really had perfected the art of what-to-wear-and-when. The lace up black boots on her feet were exactly the sort of thing she would have worn as a teenager, the pre-Mrs Donovan era, as it was quickly becoming known as in Elena's own mind. And the flowery sun dress and black jacket. They just felt so…her.

Suddenly, Elena hears a car pull up outside, and she walks to the window on the other side of the room to glance out: a Chevy convertible. The one that had been parked outside of the Salvatore's home each time she had visited. Suddenly, the door opens and he steps out.

WHY AM I SO NERVOUS?

* * *

><p>"I must say, Elena, you look fantastic this evening, if it wasn't already obvious." Damon glances at her, sitting in the passenger seat.<p>

"Thank you, Damon."

The atmosphere in the car could only be described in one word: awkward.

Elena could not figure out what had gone wrong. They had only been together for ten minutes, at most. It had been fine when she had greeted him at the door. They had chatted amicably on the doorstep for a few minutes, before walking down the path slowly, talking politely about how long it had been.

But then, as soon as she had slided into the car, as Damon held the passenger door for her, it had taken on a very different atmosphere. Tense, and unforgiving.

"Where are we going?" Elena asks delicately.

"I can't ruin the surprise," Damon winks, flashing her a wolfish grin, "It's not much further though, only a couple more minutes."

The next few minutes followed in silence, broken only by the fumbling noises of Elena looking through the CDs he kept on the dashboard. Metallica, Mozart, Taylor Swift. There was quite a mix.

As soon as they both stepped out the car, the awkwardness lifted.

"This is your house." Elena says simply, staring at the boarding house in front of her.

"Well," Damon smiles, "Technically it's my parent's house. But they're not here this evening. They'll be attending a charity function out of town all night."

He holds his arm out for her, allowing her to loop her own through his muscled arm, and leads her up the front door.

A few minutes later, Elena is sitting in the kitchen, watching Damon deftly slice and chop.

"What are we having tonight?" she asks him.

"I'm making mussels in a white wine sauce for a starter, and then beef in a peppercorn sauce for the main. The desert is a surprise." He glances at her, winks and then quickly sweeps some chopped onion into a pan.

"That sounds… delicious." Elena replies, genuinely impressed.

He turns to her and smiles, before resting on the counter top, looking at her intensely. "I've got a lot better at cooking recently. I've had to come back a lot to do it for my mother. Since her illness she's been bedridden a lot of the time, and my father isn't really the domestic type."

Elena looks at him sympathetically. "If you don't mind me asking, what type of illness does your mom have?"

Damon's smile disappears. "She has breast cancer. Luckily, it's an early stage; so it should be curable with chemotherapy. But I'm taking no chances. The way I see it, help around the house isn't exactly going to hurt her."

Elena nods. "I bet she's glad to have you around."

Damon turns back to the stove for a moment, let out an empty laugh. "You say that, but you wouldn't believe the number of times she's asked when Stefan's coming. And she's forever talking about his little brood. Not that she's ever actually, physically, seen any of them." He glances around and sees her concerned expression. "I apologize for my rudeness, talking all about my own life."

Elena smiles, "Don't apologize. I love hearing about other people's lives. It gives me something to write about."

"You're a writer? On top of your waitressing?" Damon teases her.

She laughs. "Well, I like to write. My mom installed in me when I was young that it was important to just write, write, write. I used to keep a diary. But now I just write about anything - overheard conversations, the way leaves look, my son."

"That sounds pretty inspirational - single mother and struggling writer." Damon makes a gesture in the air with his hand, as though reading a billboard.

Elena carries on as if he hadn't spoken. "I work part time at the Grill, that way I can write the rest of the time. I've got a book waiting on my laptop, on my days off I'm going to try and get an editor to read it."

"You might just be in luck," Damon says as he walks around the bar and sits down opposite her, "Have you ever heard of Elijah Smith?"

Elena stares at him with an intense looks on her face. "I can't say I have."

"Well, he's an old friend of mine, and a big-shot editor in New York. I could get him to take a look at your manuscript if you'd like. He owes me a favor."

Elena smiles at him. "That would be great. Thanks."

Dinner is soon ready. As they eat, they talk. Elena tells Damon everything there is to know about Hayden, carefully avoiding the subject of her failed marriage. She realizes quickly that Damon is a great listener.

He tells her about his father's business, and Elena cannot help but sense regret in his voice as he talks about it.

"He was left it by his father, my grandfather, who founded it shortly before his death. It really is a family business; Katherine, my wife, is keen not too let many outsiders in, something I think I'll try to put a stop to when my father hands the position of Chairman over to me."

"So Katherine is heavily involved in the business?"

"Frankly, Katherine's abilities at running a business are probably the main reason dad first introduced me to her. We're only joint CEOs because of the terrible level of nepotism that the company practices. And it's commonly known in business that co-CEOs are the first step to disaster." Damon shoves a large forkful of beef into his mouth.

Elena giggles as he makes a great show of eating, before asking, "I can't say I know much about business, but surely working so closely with your wife is great?"

"I'd have thought that you'd understand that human relationships aren't always as straight forward as that."

When their plates are cleared and they are both unable to eat anymore,

Damon gets up and grabs their plates. "Would you like to go through to the main living area? I'll join you in a moment."

Elena nods and gets up. She slowly walks through the house, allowing memories of high school to flood back to her as she walks along the hall way.

She reaches the fireplace and spends a moment looking into the fire.

Suddenly, she feels Damon behind her.

"Are you cold?" He mutters.

"No," She turns and looks at him and smiles, "I'm fine thanks. Thank you for dinner, it was delicious."

"That's kind of you," He walks around to the drinks table, "Can I get you a drink?"

"I'm okay for now." Elena says, as she walks to the sofa and throws herself onto it.

"Make yourself at home, why don't you?" Damon jokes as he walks around and sits next to her. He continues, "Thanks for coming this evening."

"My pleasure." Elena is suddenly embarrassed, and looks down into her lap. Thinking quickly, she brings up something they had been talking about during dinner. "You mentioned earlier that your Mom has never met Stefan's kids. Have you? Caroline used to be my best friend, but I have never laid eyes on those kids."

"I have, and they're sweet kids. They really take after Stefan, not that neurotic blonde."

"Hey!"

"Oh come on… she's crazy…." Damon stares at her, giving her a look that makes it impossible for her to argue any further; after all, Caroline IS neurotic.

"That's all part of her charm. Anyway, why have they never brought them home? What is going on with them?"

"Aaron, their oldest is a sweet kid. I think after they had him they expected to move home, set up camp in Mystic Falls. I think San Francisco was only ever a 'let's do this til we properly settle down' kinda plan. But when they had the twins, their plans changed. There's nothing really very wrong with them, but they're just always ill… It's odd, and I think it's just too stressful for them to travel back and forward."

"But they never even get in touch… it would be nice to hear Caroline's voice, even occasionally…"

"Do you ever call?"

"I guess not."

They take a moment to stare at each other and in the pause between them talking Elena realizes that is probably why she has fallen out of contact with so many people from her past: she didn't make the effort when it mattered. She had considered Matt good enough.

"What are the twins called?"

Damon smiles, as Elena seems unable to hide her curiosity. "Liz and Katy,

who's named after Katherine actually."

"What do they look like?"

"Do you want to see a picture?" He grabs her hand, pulling her up off the sofa and out in the hallway. Just by the front door a small table holds about ten photo frames. Damon picks one up and hands it to her. It's a family photo, with Caroline and Stefan looking happier than she's ever seen them.

A bronze haired, green eyed boy stands between them, and they're both leaning over to hold identical toddlers in place. Liz and Katy are completely identical, and with their blue eyes and blonde hair, the resemblance to their mother is uncanny.

Elena looks up to see Damon smiling at the photo. "Seeing this… doesn't it make you want to have kids of your own?"

"I'm not sure that's really my thing. Kids… I doubt they'd fit into my life." Damon has a hint of regret in his voice.

"Hayden was the best thing to ever happen to me."

Damon laughs. "I can tell. You talk about him about eighty percent of the time."

Suddenly embarrassed, she starts to apologize "Oh gosh, just tell me to shut up when you get bored. I always hated those parents who won't shut up about their kids."

"I like hearing about your life. It's all very different from how it was back when we first met." Damon walks back into the main room.

"Did we ever really meet?" Elena asks, following him.

"Of course we did, don't you remember?" Damon turns to look at her, a concerned look on his face, the light from the fire enhancing the shadows on his face. "I had a little crush on you when I first saw you. I was with Katherine so it wasn't strictly allowed. But I thought - well I guess, still think, that you're the most beautiful women I've ever seen."

* * *

><p><strong>I know what I think, but what does everyone think that Damon and Stefan's mother is called? I think officially her name is Mary, although I've seen a lot of people call her Rose - you'll have to wait and see what I've named her! - but I don't think it's ever mentioned in the show! Leave your opinion in the reviews :)<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Have a look on profile to vote in the poll I've set up!**

* * *

><p>Elena couldn't help but look down at the ground. "Thanks, Damon. Thank you."<p>

"Is that all you're going to say?" His tone of voice made it clear that Damon was hurt, embarrassed even, but also that he was trying his best to act confident and arrogant. That was how he dealt with most things.

"I'm sorry… I just can't help but feel… Well, this just doesn't seem like the right time or place." Elena steps closer, in what she hopes is an act of comfort.

"What do you mean?" He looks deep into her eyes, almost confrontational.

"Well… What about Katherine?"

* * *

><p><em><span>About A Year Ago<span>_

_Damon stood in the elevator. Living in the penthouse made for a great view, but also meant that the journey up was about five minutes too long for his patience. He glanced at his watch, before pulling his phone out of his briefcase. Nothing but a text from Stefan, asking him to send a couple documents over to the San Francisco office. Finally the pinging noise was sounding, and Damon was stepping out in the foyer of the home he shared with his wife._

_"Honey, I'm home!" He sarcastically called as he placed his briefcase down on the table in the hallway. He grabbed the newspaper on the side, and read it as he walked through into the main room, where Katherine was sitting on her laptop._

_She looked up from her laptop as he walked in, and answered his previous call. "You're a funny guy."_

_"How was your day?" He asked her, seriously now._

_"The usual. I called your dad. He said that he needs the report from both of us for the board meeting next week by tomorrow night. And he also asked when you were next visiting your mom. So I booked you onto a flight on Friday night."_

_Damon stood stunned, looking at her for a moment. "And you didn't think to ask if I had anything on planned? You're not my caretaker, Kath."_

_She gave him a cold stare over the top of her glasses, and replied as she pulled her hair into a high pony tail. "I went on your email account; I couldn't see anything in there. So unless you're hiding a hot date or something from me, I figured it would be okay."_

_He threw the paper onto the table and strolled through to the kitchen._

_"Thanks, Katherine, but next time, how about you just let me do it for myself?" He answered as he pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator, before stalking out of the room into his office._

_About an hour later, he heard a soft knocking on the door, and looked up to see Katherine standing in the door way. She was dressed up: it didn't take a genius to work out where she was going. He ignored her for a few minutes and carried on working, until she moved more into the room._

_When she stood in front of his desk, she leaned down onto the desk top and tried to look into his eyes. "Look, I'm sorry. Alright?"_

_He barely glanced at her. "Whatever, Katherine."_

_"I'm heading out. Elijah'll be here soon."_

_As hard as he tried, Damon couldn't dislike Elijah Smith. He was a good man, and had met Katherine just before their marriage had taken such a bad turn. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Damon hoped that at some point after things had come to a head with Katherine, they could be as close as they once were._

_Katherine continued, "I'll meet him by the door downstairs. So you don't have to see him."_

_"You know I have no problem with Elijah. I just think he owes me. Letting him sleep with my wife isn't easy, you know." This time Damon looked at her as he spoke, hoping that the words would sting her somehow; even though deep down, he knew that she was one of the most resilient and thick-skinned people that he knew._

_Katherine moved to look at one of the bookcases behind Damon's desk, pulling a book out and flicking through it as she spoke. "If it makes it any easier, I can get divorce papers to you by the time you're back from Mystic Falls."_

_Suddenly Damon stood up and walked over to her. "And it hadn't occurred to you that we should have done that months ago?"_

_"It did, but I didn't want to rock anything in the company." She continued to look at the book she held in her hands. "And now that we know we've secured Klaus Mikaelson's deal, we might as well put an end to our misery."_

_"Great."_

_With that she left, leaving Damon unable to take in the casual way she had just ended their marriage._

* * *

><p><span>Present Day<span>

"So you two have been divorced for an entire year?" Elena had moved slightly away from him, and seemed unable to accept what Damon was saying.

"Yep. It wasn't messy or anything, mostly because we don't have any kids or pets. The apartment is only rented, and we never shared a bank account or anything. Katherine isn't like that." Damon shrugs.

Elena cautiously sits back down on the couch opposite the one they had been sitting on earlier. "So why do you keep talking about her, referring to your 'wife'?"

Damon moves and sits down next to her, carefully leaving about a metre between them. "Force of habit, I guess. And partly because I can't fully let go yet."

Elena turns to fully look at him. "What do you mean? Did you not want to divorce?" Despite wanting to stay respectful, her interest in different people's lives was slowly kicking more and more in.

Damon moves too, so that they are fully facing each other. "It's not that. In the end mine and Katherine's marriage was loveless, and merely a business deal. It's just, when you spend that long with someone, it's hard to fully let go."

Elena nods carefully. "I know what you mean. Matt and I are completely over, but sometimes I still wake up and expect to see him lying right next to me. Or something happens at work that I think I should tell him. Maybe it's because we have a son together. Or maybe because we were together for so long. Either way, I'm trying to move on."

"Me too." Damon smiles at her.

A silence falls between them. After a few minutes he cocks his head slightly to the left, trying to gauge her facial expression. When she stares back, he moves his head slightly in, getting closer to her. She holds her hand out to stop him from moving closer.

"I'm not that kind of girl, Damon." She nearly whispers, almost unable to speak. She can practically feel the blood pumping around her body, and knew that if he were to touch her, her skin would come alive at the touch. She hasn't felt like this in so long, the excitement at the prospect of a new relationship is almost too much for her bear.

"What kind of girl?"

"The kind of girl who you can bring home, cook dinner, woo in front of a fire, and then sleep with, all on the first date." Elena can speak more loudly now, and she becomes confrontational.

Damon lounges backwards, sinking into the sofa. "I think you've got the wrong idea of my intentions, Elena." He smiles at her. "I'm a decent man."

Elena relaxes slightly at these words. "How about you tell me about this first meeting you remember so well?"

* * *

><p><em><span>Eight Years Ago<span>_

_Elena stood looking at the two dresses she held in her hands for at least five minutes. Which would Matt like more? Which said sexy-yet-sophisticated? That was the look she was going for. She wanted him to know that she wasn't going the take the same stuff as last time they were together, but that she was more than willing to give things another go. She stood looking for a while, unable to decide._

_"Personally, I prefer the red. Everyone looks good in red." A voice came from behind her, startling her. She spun around to see a tall man standing right behind her. She immediately became suspicious, before realizing that he had been leaning over her to reach a dress she was standing directly in front of._

_"You scared me!" She blushed, her voice still shaky from the surprise._

_He smirked at her. "Sorry, I do seem to have a habit of sneaking up on people."_

_By this time, she had calmed down, and smiled up at him, clutching the garments to her body. "Thanks for your advice. I was already leaning to the red." For a moment uncertainty crossed her face, and she moved her head slightly to look at him from a different angle. "Do I recognize you from somewhere?"_

_"I don't know. Do you?" He smirked again; that same over-confident smile as last time._

_"I think so. Do you live locally?" She moved slightly so that he was no longer trapping her between his body and the clothes racks._

_"I'm from Mystic Falls, but I've just left Whitmore. I'm home for the entire summer though." He had stopped smiling now, thankfully. Now he was looking concerned; worried that he had forgotten something or someone important._

_She carried on looking at him, certain that she knew him from somewhere._

_"Maybe I've seen you around then. Because I'm only a junior at the high school."_

_"My brother's a junior, going into his senior year in the fall. Perhaps you know him?"_

_She shrugged, resigned to the fact that he was a friend's brother. "Perhaps I do…"_

_"He's Stefan Salvatore."_

_Realization hit her face suddenly. "So you're Damon!"_

_He seemed shocked for a moment, and still worried that he was not recognizing someone her knew well. Or at least, should know well. "Yes, I am…"_

_"That's where I recognize you from." She nodded as she spoke, "I was at most of Stefan's parties last year. At your house. I saw you once or twice. I stopped going when they started to get crazier. That's why I'd forgotten your face."_

_"I tried to avoid those parties. It always ended up being my fault when the house got trashed. My dad seems to have made a habit out of blaming me for everything and forgiving Stefan anything." It was too late by the time he had realized he'd said too much, and embarrassed her with details of Stefan's life that she clearly didn't know._

_"I'm sorry to hear that…"_

_He regained his composure quickly. "Sorry, forgive me."_

_She was eager to move on from the awkward conversation, and so gestured to the store they were standing in. "So what's a college guy like you doing in a woman's clothes store like this?"_

_He smirked again. Did he not realise how unnerving that smirk was? Or did he?_

_"It's Valentine's Day soon, I thought I'd make more of an effort this year, seeing as I can only imagine a wedding happening before this time next year. I'm sort of trapped in a loveless relationship." When she gave him another odd look, he realized that he was being too upfront with her. She was still in high school, not used to the weird humor he had picked up from college. "I'm kidding…sort of." He said the last bit under his breath._

_She smiled at him, reassured that he was joking, easily forgiving. Her phone started ringing, startling them both._

_"That's my mom; she's picking me up soon. Sorry, I need to go. It was nice to meet you, Damon."_

* * *

><p><span>Present Day<span>

"I do remember that!" Damon glances over at Elena, and she's smiling. Beaming, even. "I guess I'd blocked it out. It was kind of embarrassing..."

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you. I guess it's pretty clear that I'm not a massive fan of my father."

Elena smiles at him, glad that he is sharing, but unable to shake the feeling of jealousy that he still has a father to dislike.

He moves closer to her, and puts his arm on the couch behind her. "So, tell me something about you that no one else knows."

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed this. I'd would make me super happy if you left a review!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Let me know what you think in the reviews! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The Salvatore boarding house… Damon Salvatore…<p>

Suddenly she realizes where she is; Damon's bed. And it's morning.

Just as she glances under the sheets to reassure herself that she's fully dressed, she feels Damon's presence at the end of the bed. She appears from under the blanket and gives him a sheepish grin.

"Morning sleepy head." He laughs as he greets her.

"Hey…" Elena cannot hide her embarrassment, "What time is it?"

Damon glances at his watch, and Elena realizes that his hair is wet and he is fully dressed. "It's just coming up to 11…am."

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" Elena leaps out of bed, "This is so not me! I'm normally up at six every morning with Hayden. That said, I'm not normally in bed by nine."

Damon just smiles at her. "Don't worry. I don't know if you remember, but we both fell asleep talking downstairs. At about three I carried you up here. I slept next to you, but don't worry, we both stayed clothed."

Elena breathes a sigh of relief, despite the fact that she already knew this.

She glances down at her clothes. "I'm wearing the same as clothes I was last night." She states bluntly.

"Well, you probably didn't expect to stay the night," Damon grins at her, "But if it's any help, you can borrow some clothes if you want?"

Elena looks at him sheepishly. "Thanks, but I'm not sure I'd fit in anything of yours…"

Damon laughs, "How about you just borrow one of my t shirts? You can borrow some shorts or something from my sister's room.'

Elena looks surprised. "You have a sister? Neither you or Stefan ever mentioned her."

Damon stopped smiling for a moment. "We had a sister. She died when I was about 20. We don't really like to talk about it. We left her room untouched though. So if it's not too creepy borrowing a dead girl's clothes, help yourself."

Elena contemplates for a moment, before deciding that she really is desperate. "Are you sure it's okay?"

"Would I have offered if it wasn't?"

"Well, then… that would be great… but… urgh, do you have a spare toothbrush?" Elena has suddenly noticed the furry feeling in her mouth, and doesn't want to get closer to Damon until she has brushed her teeth.

Damon glances at her as he walks across the room to his drawers and pulls out a simple white v-neck t-shirt. "There's probably one through there." He gestures to the shower bathroom in the corner. "Would you like me to go fetch you some clothes?"

Elena turns to glance at him as she walks towards the bathroom. She smiles, "That would be great. Thanks."

A few minutes later, when she has done a discreet wee and brushed her teeth, Elena walks back towards the bed. She is just in time to run into Damon as he comes in with a pair of jeans and a cardigan.

He places them down on the bed. "I'll let you get dressed. I hope these all fit. I'll wait for you in the main room downstairs."

He smiles and leaves quietly, shutting the door behind him. It is only then that Elena allows herself to realize how reckless she is being - she actually slept over in Damon Salvatore's bed!

She dresses quickly and folds her clothes from last night up, hoping to find her bag downstairs fairly quickly. As she walks down the hallway outside of Damon's room towards the stairs, suddenly, one of the doors off the hallway opens. and she finds herself face to face with who she can merely assume is Damon's mother.

Both women stare at each other for a moment, before Elena breaks the awkward silence with a whispered, "Hello."

The woman standing in front of her looks just about as well-to-do as Elena has ever seen. Her hair is immaculately pulled into place, and her makeup puts Elena's mascara from last night and stained lips to shame. She is wearing soft white trousers and a light blue jumper, and her mouth settles in a perfectly straight line. However, behind her eyes, there is something. A softness, and Elena knows instantly that she is a kind woman.

Suddenly, the woman laughs. "And who might you be?"

"I'm…" Elena's voice breaks as she attempts to speak, so she clears her throat and tries again. "I'm Elena. Damon's friend… Well, technically I knew Stefan first…"

The woman nods. "Grayson and Miranda's daughter?"

Elena just about managed a nod before the gravity of her standing in borrowed clothes, holding her dress from last night, kicks in. She suddenly realizes how this must look. "Oh gosh, I didn't… Me and Damon, we're just friends…"

"Don't worry, darling, I know that Damon isn't like that. I'm sure the two of you are just friends. I'm Evelyn, Damon's mother. His dad, Giuseppe, should be somewhere around here."

Evelyn looks down the hall as if expecting Giuseppe to be walking towards them, before turning in the other direction. She walks down the hall and towards the stairs, and calls out her son's name.

"Damon!"

Damon gets a start from where he is standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Mom?"

Evelyn smiles down on him from the landing. "I just found this stray wondering around." She says, gesturing to Elena. "She belongs to you I assume?"

Elena immediately realizes that Evelyn had been keeping the facade of good hostess up for Elena, and is now questioning Damon about his sleepover in the way she really wanted to.

Damon goes a very bright shade of red. "Mom, this is Elena. Elena, my mother."

Elena stands behind Evelyn, unable to speak as she endures the awkwardness of the situation, and so Evelyn answers for the two of them.

"We've already introduced ourselves. So will the two of you be joining myself and your father for breakfast? Emily is preparing it now I believe. WE arrived back from our function a couple of hours ago, and I haven't eaten since yesterday lunch time."

Damon suddenly perks up at the opportunity to invite Elena out of the house, and turns to her. "Actually, if Elena is interested, I had planned for us to go out to breakfast."

Elena breathes a sigh of relief. Although Damon's mother is lovely, her over-bearing nature was a bit too much for the first-not-quite-date. She nods enthusiastically, but before she can answer, Evelyn had started speaking again. "Not to that horrible diner I hope. I'm always half expecting a rat to crawl out from under my chair."

"Mom…" Damon was clearly embarrassed, and so he moved for the two women to make their way down the stairs. Before Elena had even placed her foot on the last step, Damon had grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door and out to the car, only stopping for mere seconds to allow Elena to get her bag.

A few minutes later, the two were sitting in the car, listening to Damon's road trip mix, and laughing at the previous awkward encounter.

"I'm sorry I didn't prepare you for my mother. I love her and she has a heart of gold, but she doesn't hold back…"

Elena is still giggling as she answers. "That's fine. That's exactly what my mother was like."

Damon suddenly becomes a lot stiffer and serious as the conversation turns to Elena's deceased mother. He wanted to be polite, but wasn't sure yet how to act when Elena brought up her parents. "Were the two of you close?"

Elena nods with a nostalgic smile. "My mom was one of my best friends. That probably sounds totally pathetic, but I could trust her more than anything. And Matt, he was my best friend too…"

Damon racks his brains quickly to move the conversation away from the guy Elena used to be married to. He sounded like a dick. "So the position for new BFF is open?"

Elena leans forward to skip the song that had just come on. "I guess so."

Damon smiles and taps his fingers on the driving steering wheel slowly. "I'll keep that in mind."

He give her a sideways glance and can't help but lose his breathe slightly as he noticed the way her hair falls around her face, so angelically, and the cute way she was tapping her fingers on her legs. She was completely oblivious to the moment, but Damon was so absorbed in her beauty and grace that it took a few moments to realize she had just spoken.

"Where exactly are you taking me?" She repeated, worried she had mumbled before.

He continues to look at her as he replies. "Just to a little diner outside of town."

"Eyes on the road." She giggles, and he does as he is told. "Not the one with the rats I hope?"

"She was exaggerating…" Damon goes red and curses himself… _Why am I blushing so much today?_

"Don't worry, I'm only joking. Are you sure it's okay that I'm wearing these clothes?" Elena pulls at her t-shirt slightly as she says the word, and becomes automatically slightly more awkward in her own skin as she realises that it may be weird wearing his dead sister's clothes…

Damon allows a grin to escape onto his lips. "I like to see a lady in my shirts."

Elena rubs her legs. "I meant more the pants and stuff…"

"No one else is using them." Damon does not venture more into the conversation and so a silence falls for a few moments, before the car slows down next to a traditional American style diner.

"Chocolate pancakes for us both please. And two coffees." Damon orders for them both as soon as they are seated and the waitress has come over.

They spend the whole morning in the diner, laughing and getting to know each other more. As the days goes on and lunch time ends, Damon glances at his watch.

"Woah, it's getting late. Shall I drive you home? I don't want you to be late for your son."

Elena nods and stands up. She suddenly feels a wave of bravery hit her and she loops her arm with Damon as they leave and he looks down and smiles at her. For a moment he is hit with a wave of love. _Can I really be in love with her already?_ Before he can express any of this at all, she is talking again about her job, her writing, Hayden, her brother and Bonnie and how Jenna's baby is due any way now, and it continues this way until they stand facing each other on her front porch.

Elena finally stops talking for a moment and allows the moment of them both looking at each other to sink in. After a while, she speaks.

"Thanks for the most amazing…" She can't finish her sentence as she realizes that she is not entirely sure what exactly it had been.

Damon merely smiles. "Thank you, Miss Gilbert. See you tomorrow?"

Elena thinks for a second, and then replies. "I'm working tomorrow."

"I'll pick you up from the Grill then?" Damon's keenness is clear, and so Elena feels a pang of guilt letting him down.

"I have Hayden. I can't give him to my aunt just to go on a date."

Damon is clearly desperate to see her again, and so doesn't give up. "I could come over when he's in bed and make you dinner?"

Elena grins at him, delighted that he is so keen to see her again. "Since you're so insistent, alright. But my aunt Jenna and her husband can chaperone, okay? I can't have you over here, just the two of us, with my son asleep upstairs."

"Just as long as I get to see you again."

"Do you want to come in for a few minutes?"

Damon thinks for a few seconds, a crease burrowing in-between his eyebrows, and then carefully replies. "I think if I came in, I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off you. A kiss would be impossible to avoid, for example. And you're not that type of girl. So I'll just leave you here, with this." He leans across and kisses her gently on the cheek.

He says nothing more as he walks down her path and gets into his car. She watches as the car zooms off down the road, and is still smiling when she gets inside the house.

She looks down at her phone to see a text from Tyler.

_Matt has just dropped Hayden off at __mine__, so I'm bringing him back. He asked me to tell you something about him and Rebekah as well…_


	6. Chapter 6

**It ended up being a short scene but I found it intense to write the scene where Vicki dies... So I'm sorry if anyone is affected by it. This will stay a relatively happy love story, but sometimes I think it's necessary to throw in some angst; it's the only way to make the characters more interesting! What do you think?**

* * *

><p>Elena looks down at the phone for a few seconds, wondering what it could be that Matt needs her to know. As she puts the phone back in her pocket, she is suddenly hit with the excitement of seeing Hayden again. She had an amazing time with Damon, and hoped to see him again soon, but her heart would always lie with her precious son. Her mother - adoptive mother (she had learned in her teen years that she was adopted at birth) - had taught her the art of being a truly incredible mother, and Elena hoped that she was doing half a good as job as Miranda had done with her. As much as she loved Hayden, though, her next child WOULD be a girl. She would love to have a little girl, then they could really be like Elena and Miranda - inseparable and each other's closest confidants. That was what broke Elena's heart the most - that as close as she was to Hayden, he would always love spending time with Matt, for he was his father. Hayden didn't know why his parent's marriage had broken down - and Elena would always guard him from that - but the downside was that he felt no loyalty. Perhaps when she had a girl, Elena would have someone always on her side.<p>

As she plumps cushions on the sofa, Elena hears a car pull up outside the house, and hurries to the door. She pulls it open to find Tyler and Hayden walk up the path. They look so sweet together- holding hands, Hayden talking at a hundred miles a minute. Tyler looks so happy, and Elena thanks Matt silently for making him Hayden's godfather - he's such a different person, just from having someone else in his life to care for. The broody, violent teenage Tyler that Elena can remember from high school is long gone. They reach the front door and Hayden doesn't stop talking as he hugs his mother.

"Mommy! How are you?" His excitable eyes look into hers and melt her heart. "I had such a good weekend with Daddy! We did so much fun stuff together!"

Elena smiles at him, and holds his small hand in her own. "I'm so glad you had fun, sweetie." All anger with Matt has fallen away as Elena realizes that she couldn't have picked anyone better to share this precious boy with. "Did you have dinner?"

Hayden nods excitedly, "We went to Grammy Kelly's house, and she made me meatballs!"

Elena shares an amused look with Tyler, "Uncle Ty, did you hear that? Grammy Kelly can cook!"

Tyler laughs as he lays down Hayden's rucksack on the sofa, and throws himself down onto it, kicking off his shoes.

Elena finds the humor in this and laughs, "Make yourself at home, why don't you?"

Tyler looks up at her from the remote he is using to flick through the channels on the television placed on the opposite wall to him. "Do you need any help getting him ready for bed?"

Elena wonders for a moment before carefully replying. "You could sit here and watch something CALMING for ten minutes to get him ready? I just need to do some stuff on the computer. Is that okay?"

Tyler nods and Hayden hops onto the sofa beside him, insisting on putting on The Incredibles.

"What is it about that movie that you like so much, huh, dude?" Tyler laughs as he turns on the kids' channel. Elena stands in the hall listening to them giggling for a few minutes, smiling to herself like a crazy person, before she hurries upstairs and gets out her laptop. It takes a moment to load up and quickly she goes into Word, opening up the document she had been using to write her novel. She hadn't even disclosed to Damon that she had gotten this far in her writing, but his promise to show it to an editor means that it is time for her to put her shyness to a side. She quickly texts Damon, asking for his email address, and he replies almost instantly.

She deftly scrolls through the options, selecting the password protection drop down menu. She quickly entered her normal password (her son's name and birthday) before glancing back at the end of the document: I never did know the importance of that moment, until afterwards, when it was nearly a forgetful memory. It was then that I resolved to never make that mistake again.

The book was about heartbreak, both romantic and personal, and it was by no means a masterpiece. She was proud of it though. And so it was with a flourish that she attached it to an email to Damon, along with a message requesting he passed it along to his editor-friend-who-owed-him-a-favor.

Once that was done, Elena called out, "Ty, could you turn off the TV and bring Hayden up to his room?"

She heard a grunt in reply and so assumed that he was doing just that, meaning that she had enough time to hurry into Hayden's room, pull back his bed covers and get his PJ's from under the pillow where she insisted he put them every morning. Since her parent's death, Elena had become somewhat of a clean freak, but luckily, Hayden was a neat child and barely gave Elena any troubles when it came to her excessive needs.

She held them in her hands and walked into the bathroom in-between her own and Hayden's room - what had once been her brother Jeremy's room was now painted brightly with primary colors and decorated with bunnies - and started drawing her son's bath. Hayden came rushing into the bathroom just in time, Tyler close behind, and Elena bathed him quickly, chatting as she did.

Before long she had tucked him into bed and read him a short story, and the time had come for her to hear finally what the message that Matt had passed along to Tyler was. They sat looking at each other across the kitchen table, a mug of coffee in front of each of them, as Tyler leaned forward and started speaking.

"Matt is in a committed relationship with Rebekah Michaelson. He didn't want you to find out from anywhere else but him, but he knew that it would cause… well, friction between the two of you if he were to come here and tell you himself."

Elena nodded. "Okay, reasonable. I'm happy that he wanted me to know. Shame it had to be with that cheating skank, but you can't have everything…"

Tyler spoke simultaneously to her as she made the comment about Matt's new girlfriend. "That's the other thing…" He leaned back luxuriously in his chair and took a sip of coffee, wanting to keep the conversation casual, but knowing that Elena was not going to react well. "He never cheated with her."

"Tyler," Elena seemed exasperated, "Please stop covering for him. I practically caught them at it…"

"No," He interrupted her, "you didn't catch them doing anything. Hayley has it on good information from Rebekah that they met, became close maybe a bit too quickly, and that time you came home and they were in the bedroom was just her comforting him about Vick. You know how badly he took her suicide. Matt was just so embarrassed by the whole thing that he didn't want you to think of him as any less of a man. And so he just went along with the suggestion that he'd cheated."

Elena gave him a skeptical look. "This sounds made up to me…"

Tyler shrugged. "Believe him, or don't. Doesn't bother me."

"Is that it?" Elena looked at him, taking her mug in her hands. "Is that all he wanted you to say?" She sipped her coffee delicately.

"No. The last thing is… He wants, next weekend, to introduce Hayden to Rebekah."

* * *

><p>As Elena lay in bed later that night, she suddenly had a vivid memory of the horrible day that Vicki had died. The day that her marriage had changed forever.<p>

She had been in the park. She had been sitting on the bench just past the gate near the Grill, watching Hayden run around crazily, talking to as many different children as possible - he was like her, always wanting to make new friends, but like Matt, easily to talk to.

Her phone had rung. She had seen it was Matt but didn't pick up - they had had a trivial little argument that morning, about him not rinsing the sink after brushing his teeth. If she could go back and stop that argument, pick up that call, she would.

A few minutes later, it had been Bonnie who called. Elena had picked up instantly.

"Hey, Bon."

"Elena," Bonnie's voice was uncharacteristically low and distressed, "Did you not see Matt's call? I'm with him now."

Elena's forehead had crinkled in confusion, and she could vividly remember the feeling of her heart sinking. "Why? What's the matter?"

"It's Vicki," Bonnie's voice had broken. "They've found her body."

Elena had dropped the phone and sat stunned, on the bench. Finally, she gathered all of her strength to pick the handset back up. "Where are you now?"

It had been then that Bonnie had started fully crying. "We're at the hospital. Just me and Matt. We're waiting to see the body."

Elena had been too stunned to cry. She had never exactly been close to Vicki, but they had been in the same class at school, and at the end of the day she was her sister-in-law. Hayden loved her, and she was probably Matt's best friend. And Jeremy… he had been happy with Bonnie for years now, but it was an open secret that he still had strong feelings for Vicki.

Their lives had never been the same again.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Elena drops Hayden off at his play group and then drives to work. Waiting there is the last person she expects to see.<p>

"Damon?" She is incredulous as she pulls her apron around her waist.

He is sitting at the bar, holding a glass of water, wearing a suit and looking very professional.

He smiles flirtatiously at her. "Hello Elena."

She goes behind the bar and starts putting out the supplies for the day. "What on earth are you doing here? You do realize that we only start serving lunch in," she glances at her watch, "two hours?"

Damon leans back in his stool. "I'm well aware. I just couldn't wait until this evening to see you."

Elena looks genuinely confused for a moment. "You, Damon, couldn't wait 24 hours - less than - to see me? You barely know me…"

Damon leans forward and looked deep into her eyes. For a moment Elena wonders if he can actually see into her soul. Her heart softens, and she feels a wave of lust flood over her.

"I think," he places his hand over her own on the bar, "That we know each other a lot better than you are letting on. "

The day went by quickly, and Damon had spent the entire time on the bar stool, waiting for Elena's short breaks, and for the excuse to have snippets of conversation with her. At around five o'clock, the manager of the Grill relieved Elena. and She grabbed her coat, before returning to Damon who had waited for her by the door.

"Do you need to be home immediately?" He asks as he held the door open for her, gentlemanly allowing her to pass through before him.

She looks at her phone, and upon seeing that Jenna hadn't called her yet, answered, "I have about half an hour before I need to be home. Why?"

"Would you do me the honor of accompanying me on a short walk around the park opposite the bar?" He gestured with his hand to the gates across the street.

Elena smiles up at him. "I'd love to."

They pass across the street and slowly start walking through the park. "It's a beautiful day."

Elena can barely get the words out before Damon has grabbed her hand, and spun her around to look at him. They stand nose to nose on a path, either side of them flowers sprouting from the ground, and distantly Elena can hear birds tweeting.

"Elena," Damon looks at her deeply, and she can see from his eyes that his feelings for her are as strong as her own, "I know I barely know you, but I feel such a connection to you. You're such an incredible woman. Call me crazy, but I want you in my future. And I can't be around you unless I can do this."

Suddenly, he is kissing her, and it is like nothing she has ever experienced before. Their souls are connecting as their tongues brush against each other; it is sweet, but filled with passion, and they are both lost in the moment. Slowly, Damon pulls away and brushes his nose against hers.

"I'm sorry. You're so beautiful. You're perfect. And all I see is you when I'm with you. I'm not exactly good with words…"

Elena lets out a small giggle. "You are. You're very romantic."

Damon holds her hand up, stroking it with his thumb. "Can we… Can I see you again? Can we date?"

His fumbling and awkwardness is so different from his smooth self that Elena sighs. "I would love that."

She has barely got the sentence out before he is kissing her again.

* * *

><p><strong>Leave me your thoughts in the reviews :)<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

Elena and Damon walk up the path to her house, glancing at each other occasionally, unable to keep their eyes off each other.

They had been talking all the way home. "I'm sure my mother would love an opportunity to reintroduce herself," Damon had said at one point, "Maybe you should come over for dinner at some point?"

Elena had barely been able to contain her glee, "I'd love to," She had replied.

She quickly lets go of his hand as she spots Hayden playing on the porch with Alaric.

"Hey Honey!" She shouts out, prompting her son to turn his head and screech: "Mommy!"

He quickly abandons the toy car he and Ric had been playing with and hurls himself towards her. By this point she had come up the steps, with Damon closely behind her.

He throws himself into her arms. "Mommy, I miss you so much when you're at work. It makes me so sad." He looks sad for a moment, before she lifts his chin up and replies to him. "You know I'll always come home to you though, hon."

He smiles, and then quickly became distracted by the strange man standing behind his mother.

"Hello." He says shortly, not knowing how to approach the stranger.

"Hey, there buddy." Damon smiles as he kneels to get down on Hayden's level. "I'm Damon, your mom's friend."

Hayden flashes his mother an adorable smile and stretched out his arm to shake Damon's hand, in the way his Aunt Jenna had taught him earlier that day. "Hello, Damon. My name is Hayden."

Damon shakes his hand, immediately entranced with Elena's son. "It's lovely to meet you. I'm so happy to finally meet you Hayden."

Hayden giggles. "You can call me Hay. Lots of people do!"

It was clear from that moment that Hayden and Damon were going to get along.

* * *

><p>Dinner went quickly, mostly thanks to the immediate connection shared between Damon and Alaric. They liked the same sports teams, the same alcohol, even the same music.<p>

"I've never met another guy who could bear to listen to Taylor Swift!"

While they bonded, realizing that they had both graduated from Duke a couple of years apart, Jenna and Elena spoke almost exclusively about baby clothes and names, temporarily checking on Hayden, who sat on his own in the play room. It was a great evening, and Damon even managed to charm Jenna.

"I must say, I've never truly thought there was a truth to the whole pregnant-lady glow thing! But now I see the living proof! Do you know if it's a girl or boy yet?"

Once she had put Hayden to bed, and after her aunt and Ric had left, Elena and Damon sit on the swinging chair on the porch of the house, looking up at the stars above them.

"You're awesome, you know that?" Damon glances at her, hoping his words reflected exactly how amazing she made him feel.

Elena chuckles, taking his hand in hers. "You sound like a fourteen year old!"

"Awesome, dude," Damon jokes, causing the pair to spend a few minutes giggling to each other. "I can see why you love your son so. He's adorable. And he looks just like you."

Elena glances up at him, smiling at the thought that her son looked like her instead of Matt. "Do you really think so?" She blushed as she said it.

Damon nods reassuringly. "Hell yeah! Those gorgeous brown eyes? All yours."

After a beat, Damon continues. "Elena, there's something you should know. I haven't been completely honest…"

Elena looks at him, smiling. "Don't worry, I know."

Damon looks surprised. "You do?!"

Elena replies, "Yeah, don't worry, I know!" She had assumed that he had meant to tell her that Stefan, his brother, had been in love with her, back in the days when he was interested with her. It had been fairly obvious, and if truth be told they had shared one or two kisses in the forgotten past. Or at least, Elena had tried to forget, for the sake of her marriage.

Damon looks relieved. "That's good," he lifts her hand and presses it to his lips, in a warm show of affection. "I wouldn't want any awkwardness to… arise." He hadn't been talking about Stefan, although it was true that his brother had shared his feelings for Elena to his older brother, and it was something that he had occasionally worried about in terms of how things would turn out. But in truth, he had been about to tell Elena something slightly worse, and he hadn't thought at the time, on the porch, about how on earth she would know.

They spent half an hour more on the porch, laughing and almost-in love, before Damon had insisted that he must leave, as he had to wake up early the next morning to catch a plane to San Francisco. He needed to talk to his brother about some business that Elena didn't understand, under a certain urgency that she also didn't understand.

* * *

><p>It was after he left, two days later, that she actually found out what he had meant when he had told her that there was something she didn't know.<p>

It was her day off, and she was cleaning the house when the phone rang. She didn't recognize the number, but it was a local call, and so she answered with caution. "Hello?"

A cold but clear voice rang out form the other end of the line. There was no greeting. "Is this Elena Donovan?"

Elena was slightly taken aback. She answered, her voice shaking. "Elena Gilbert, actually; formally Donovan."

The cold voice sounded no warmer as it answered. "Oh, I see. This is Katherine Pierce." Elena's mind didn't make the immediate link, her mind fuzzy from spending all day indoors, but she pieced the puzzle together eventually. Katherine Pierce. Formerly Katherine Pierce-Salvatore; Damon's ex-wife.

"Oh," Elena's voice replied, shakily, "Katherine."

Katherine laughed. A cool, callous laugh. "Hello, Elena. I believe you are in a close personal relationship with my husband, Damon. And since I'm in the local area, I was wondering if I could come over to talk to you about it? In fact, I'm right outside."

Elena started, before peeking out of her curtains. Sure enough, there stood the figure she vaguely remembered from her teenage years, at the end of her path. She was wearing dark shades and a short skirt, but she could tell from the short distance that the woman was still as stunning as she had always been.

Elena's brain started working frantically. "I'm not in."

Katherine laughed again, and the sound sent a shiver down Elena's spine. "Elena, honey, I can hear you through the door."

Elena did not bother to speak through the phone again, instead pulling the door cautiously open, not far enough for Katherine to step through, but big enough for her to poke her head around the door.

Katherine regarded her, before outstretching a leather-gloved hand. "How do you do? May I come in?"

A few minutes later, the woman sit opposite each other, Elena cautiously glancing at Katherine, Katherine staring obtrusively at Elena, unafraid.

The likeness between the two women was uncanny. That said, Katherine had a harder edge to her, and was notably older than Elena. She clearly took care in her appearance in a way that Elena didn't quite reciprocate. It was clear through the Botox and makeup that Katherine was at least in her late 40s. Her hair was clearly extended and her hair was a few shades lighter than Elena's own stunning dark hair. There was also the occasionally grey hair: a curse to which Elena had not yet succumbed.

Suddenly, her confidence rising, Elena sat up straight and looked at her square on. "So. What can I do for you?"

"Well," Katherine tryingly swirled her spoon around her coffee cup, "I'm here about Damon."

Elena crossed her arms, determined not to let her shakiness show. "What about him? I get the impression that what he does now is nothing to do with you."

Katherine looked at her, before leaning across the table, a patronizing smile on her face. "Oh honey, you wouldn't understand. As a waitress, I'm sure your job isn't exactly…demanding." When she was not interrupted, Katherine went on. "But, well, in the business world, how one acts, and who one mixes with- well, it reflects a lot on the company. And in Damon's case, he needs to think about not only his own family's business, but mine as well. His father has invested millions in the Pierce family name, and I'm not about to let it all go down the drain due to a suburban bus-girl."

Tears had started to spring to Elena's eyes, but she held them back and bit her tongue as Katherine continued. "I myself have indulged in a little torrid affair recently, but I've made sure to keep it private for appearances sake. And I would advise you to do the same."

Elena carefully collected herself and leaned forward as well, meaning her face was merely inches away from Katherine's. "I'm not sure I'm following."

"Let me lay this out for you," Katherine lounged back in her seat, staring obnoxiously at her nails as she did so, "My husband is about to do a deal with one of the world's largest real estate companies. And the last thing he needs is a scandal breaking out in the form of a single-mother type from West Virginia."

Elena was really trying not to cry now. "I think Damon's affairs don't have much to do with you anymore, Katherine. You keep referring to him as your husband, when we both know that that hasn't been the case for a while. Why don't you just get up, leave, and never come back. I won't mention this little invasion to Damon, or the papers for that matter, and we'll speak no more of it."

Just as Elena's confidence rose enough to give Katherine what she saw as a real mouthful, Katherine laughed in her face, before elegantly getting up out of her chair and pulling on her coat.

"Oh, honey. I'm afraid Damon hasn't been completely truthful with you. The fact is, he is still my husband. We're legally still married."

* * *

><p>"I don't get it! He said they were divorced! Why would he lie!? I knew it was too good to be true!" Later that night, Elena paces her living room, in front of Tyler who lies on the sofa, occasionally hurling insults to him about all men in general, and the occasional outburst of panic.<p>

After a while, Tyler sits up straighter. "Look, I'm totally not used to girl talk... or boy talk, I guess. I'm used to talking about Jennifer Lawrence and football with your husb... I mean, with Matt. So sorry if I'm not exactly a great help."

Elena sits down pitifully next to him. "It's just tough at the moment, you know? With Jeremy and Bonnie out of town, I can't talk to Bon about it, not that I would anyway; we're not exactly close at the moment. I can't talk to Jenna about it, not after the other night when she liked him so much. And I haven't spoken to Caroline in months... Not to mention I normally spoke about all my problems with Matt... That's not possible anymore. I guess, well, you're the only one I've got."

As tears rise in her eyes, Tyler leans towards her, putting his arm around her and drawing her into a hug. "Elena, you know I'm always here for you and Hayden. I would happily take the place of best-girlfriend if you need a temporary fix. Just don't tell Matt."

She lets out a mini-sob at that. "Yeah, like I'm really gonna be in a position to talk to Matt about anything."

"Why don't you just give him a chance?" When he says this, Elena merely snorts.

Tyler pulls her nearer, and she leans in, comforted by his warmth. He kissed the top of her head before carrying on. "Let's go to dinner or something. You and me. And Hayden if you want. The three of us. Or just the two of us. To cheer you up. To be honest it would probably cheer me up too..."

Elena is about to speak, when he quickly adds, "It won't be a date or anything, don't worry."

Elena smiles as the thought rose in her mind that perhaps Tyler could read her mind. "Thanks, Ty."

He rubs her arm. "I'll get Hayley to have a girl's night or something. Not that I'll be with Hayley this time next week..."

Elena suddenly looks up at him upon hearing this new piece of information. "Things not going great between the two of you?"

He shrugs non-commitally, staring into space. "You could say that. She met this guy, Klaus. I don't think she's cheated on me or anything... but they're getting close, and I think it's only a matter of time before she ends it with me to pursue something with him. She wouldn't cheat."

Elena snuggles more into him, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand. "I can't wait for Hayden to get back from Matt's."

As they stare into space, each thinking of their own problems, a comfortable silence falls between the two, Tyler's arm wrapped protectively around Elena, her leaning into him for the shelter she has craved so much since things ended with Matt. "Thanks for the moral support." He says, absent-mindedly.

"You know I'm always here to talk to, but I'm just excited to see him again."

Tyler lets out a low chuckle, "You'll have to make do with me 'til then, I'm afraid. And I'm always here for you too. Any time, day or night."

After a while, Tyler moves away slightly, pushing the blanket on his lap onto Elena, as he notices she seems to be drifting off. "Just give your guy a chance."

Elena looks up at him through drooping eyes. "Damon?"

"Yeah," he replies, as he gets up to sit on the other side of the room, so that they are both lying down, looking at each other. "You only have Katherine's side of the story, and from the sounds of it, she's a crazy... well, not the most trustworthy of sources."

Elena nods, but barely seems to have noticed what he's said, and simply says "Come back," faintly commanding him to move back.

Tyler complies, and moves back across the room, readjusting himself around her on the sofa so that when they drift off into their peaceful sleep, they are cuddling up close to each other, his nose pressed into the back of her neck.


End file.
